Helsinki’s Radical Solution to Homelessness

[Islam Imamate]

Finland is the only EU country where homelessness is falling. Its secret? Giving people homes as soon as they need them – unconditionally.
tl;dr Capital of Finland reduced its homeless problem through a Housing First policy where the homeless are given access to homes unconditionally. The city government uses its ownership of land, housing units, and a construction company as well as zoning laws to facilitate this approach.

When the policy was being devised just over a decade ago, the four people who came up with what is now widely known as the Housing First principle – a social scientist, a doctor, a politician and a bishop – called their report NimiOvessa (Your Name on the Door).

As in many countries, homelessness in Finland had long been tackled using a staircase model: you were supposed to move through different stages of temporary accommodation as you got your life back on track, with an apartment as the ultimate reward.

“We decided to make the housing unconditional,” says Kaakinen. “To say, look, you don’t need to solve your problems before you get a home. Instead, a home should be the secure foundation that makes it easier to solve your problems.”

With state, municipal and NGO backing, flats were bought, new blocks built and old shelters converted into permanent, comfortable homes – among them the Rukkila homeless hostel in the Helsinki suburb of Malminkartano where Ainesmaa now lives.

Housing First’s early goal was to create 2,500 new homes. It has created 3,500. Since its launch in 2008, the number of long-term homeless people in Finland has fallen by more than 35 percent. Rough sleeping has been all but eradicated in Helsinki, where only one 50-bed night shelter remains, and where winter temperatures can plunge to -20C.

Helsinki owns 60,000 social housing units; one in seven residents live in city-owned housing. It also owns 70 percent of the land within the city limits, runs its own construction company, and has a current target of building 7,000 more new homes – of all categories – a year.

In each new district, the city maintains a strict housing mix to limit social segregation: 25 percent social housing, 30 percent subsidised purchase, and 45 percent private sector. Helsinki also insists on no visible external differences between private and public housing stock, and sets no maximum income ceiling on its social housing tenants.

I have heard of the Housing First approach to the homeless problem but this was an interesting article that went a little more in depth into a specific Housing First initiative that seems to be fruitful. Other countries have shown interest in the approach, from France to Australia, but I'd like to see something of the sort tried in American cities.

 

[tonni]

Don't get excited

 

[PolishHeadlock2]

I think the US can make a bigger dent by tackling Healthcare access first (which I believe Finland has).

I believe most of the homeless in the US suffer from mental health disease and addiction.

I guess it wouldn't hurt doing both but I don't think this would be popular politically in the US

 

[TeTe]

I bet something like this would work in a country with ample space and low population.

Could you imagine if they tried doing something like this in California? The majority of people who work can't afford houses here. If they started giving away apartments here, the "homeless" population would quadruple overnight. I mean, how would you feel if you're busting your ass working two jobs just to pay your high rent and the state is giving away apartments to homeless that would normally sell for $750,000 in the Bay area?

 

[Headkicktoleg]

Government owns 70% of the land in the city.
No thank you

 

[Mendacious]

I believe this has been tried already in Utah or they were going to try it

homelessness is very expensive in America with all the emergency room visits, arrests, and ambulances they use

 

[HunterSdVa29]

i'm sure i'll get chef'd on in this thread, but by and large people in the US not only don't feel sorry for homeless people......they bother and digust many people

nobody likes moochers

that being said, something needs to be done especially here in California. Even where i live in literal Hills Have Eyes territory every single gas station/convenience store has multiple homeless people begging. Even in the summer when it's 115+ outside

that's.....a problem

 

[Islam Imamate]

I think the US can make a bigger dent by tackling Healthcare access first (which I believe Finland has).

I believe most of the homeless in the US suffer from mental health disease and addiction.

I guess it wouldn't hurt doing both but I don't think this would be popular politically in the US

That's a good point. I don't know if most homeless are mentally ill/addicts but certainly a very large portion are. This Housing First initiative does address that though

But Housing First is not just about housing. “Services have been crucial,” says Helsinki’s mayor, Jan Vapaavuori, who was housing minister when the original scheme was launched. “Many long-term homeless people have addictions, mental health issues, medical conditions that need ongoing care. The support has to be there.”

At Rukkila, seven staff support 21 tenants. Assistant manager Saara Haapa says the work ranges from practical help navigating bureaucracy and getting education, training and work placements to activities including games, visits and learning – or re-learning – basic life skills such as cleaning and cooking.

But I still see your point. How many homeless Americans wouldn't have become homeless and thus need a Housing First policy if they had access to basic preventative healthcare and mental health services in the first place?

Your point about it not being politically feasible is salient as well but at the same time if its undertaken at the municipal level maybe you could drum enough support for it in certain areas.

I bet something like this would work in a country with ample space and low population.

Could you imagine if they tried doing something like this in California? The majority of people who work can't afford houses here. If they started giving away apartments here, the "homeless" population would quadruple overnight. I mean, how would you feel if you're busting your ass working two jobs just to pay your high rent and the state is giving away apartments to homeless that would normally sell for $750,000 in the Bay area?

The people who live in the homes still have to pay rent after the first three months and can be evicted if they don't or break one of the rules(for instance, some of the housing units do not allow drugs or alcohol). The idea, which makes sense to me, is that without a home the homeless have no foundation to build off of. Give them a roof over their head they can come back to and eventually things like securing steady employment will come. Of course its not that simple but that's the basic idea.

 

[Islam Imamate]

I believe this has been tried already in Utah or they were going to try it

homelessness is very expensive in America with all the emergency room visits, arrests, and ambulances they use

The piece claims that the Housing First initiative led to savings precisely because of that

Housing First costs money, of course: Finland has spent €250m creating new homes and hiring 300 extra support workers. But a recent study showed the savings in emergency healthcare, social services and the justice system totalled as much as €15,000 a year for every homeless person in properly supported housing.

 

[Mendacious]

The piece claims that the Housing First initiative led to savings precisely because of that

This is known, the issue is that it is politically impossible in most places.

I’m for it on the basis that the evidence points to it improving things, but if you told me that they were giving houses to the homeless in MY neighborhood? Well now I have to reconsider. Not sure anyone wants property values going down and even if you live in a ghetto you don’t want to deal with potential issues from it.

Obviously a smart implementation would not be neighborhoods of former homeless but spread out, but just rumors that they’re relocating homeless into your neighborhood can mess up property values. Not a nice thing to do to a homeowner.

 

[TeTe]

The people who live in the homes still have to pay rent after the first three months and can be evicted if they don't or break one of the rules(for instance, some of the housing units do not allow drugs or alcohol). The idea, which makes sense to me, is that without a home the homeless have no foundation to build off of. Give them a roof over their head they can come back to and eventually things like securing steady employment will come. Of course its not that simple but that's the basic idea.

I didn't see that part as I only read the cliffs you posted. If they have to pay rent after a while that would make sense then.

I'm just curious to see what the typical causes of homelessness are in Finland is and their motivations to better their lives are. It seems that people there may take better to social programs. Here, even when offered shelter most homeless people avoid it since they have to remain sober in those facilities. Asking the majority of them to stay clean and get a job to pay for the place after three months is asking an awful lot.

You should watch the documentary Skid Row Marathon on Netflix. It's about this judge in the LA area that helps motivate homeless people in and around one of the biggest missions in downtown LA. It's pretty crazy to see what some of these people have done that have stuck with it. But sadly there's very few that actually have hit bottom enough to turn their lives around.

 

[Kitafuji]

try that bullshit in India first and see if it works there. Then maybe I will change my mind.

 

[Higus]

I think the US can make a bigger dent by tackling Healthcare access first (which I believe Finland has).

I believe most of the homeless in the US suffer from mental health disease and addiction.

I guess it wouldn't hurt doing both but I don't think this would be popular politically in the US

I think part of the Helsinki model is that having permanent housing makes mental health treatment more effective. Think of it like the Maslow's hierarchy of needs. A person isn't going to come to grips with the root cause of their mental illness and addictions without having basic needs like food, water, safety, and housing taken care of first.

 

[Gunny]

I’m all for giving homeless people a place to live...

 

[Higus]

try that bullshit in India first and see if it works there. Then maybe I will change my mind.

Where do you live, someplace that is more easily compared to Helsinki, Utah, or India?

 

[Nameless King]

The God Emperor Trump said number and number of times on his social media. The US of A will NEVER EVER become a socialist country. Whether it's down to homelessness or healthcare.

So if you don't work - starve, freeze to death on a street or to diseases.

 

[Kitafuji]

Where do you live, someplace that is more easily compared to Helsinki, Utah, or India?

I live in this shit-hole place called Seattle Washington. The people here are so stupid. People wear flannel shirts, tight jeans, beanies and flip flops. Now that is stupid.

 

[Mendacious]

The God Emperor Trump said number and number of times on his social media. The US of A will NEVER EVER become a socialist country. Whether it's down to homelessness or healthcare.

So if you don't work - starve, freeze to death on a street or to diseases.

Unbased and cringepilled

 

[PolishHeadlock2]

I think part of the Helsinki model is that having permanent housing makes mental health treatment more effective. Think of it like the Maslow's hierarchy of needs. A person isn't going to come to grips with the root cause of their mental illness and addictions without having basic needs like food, water, and housing taken care of first.

Good points by you and @Kafir-kun

 

[Jack V Savage]

You can't solve homelessness just by throwing homes at the problem.